


Heaven Sent

by Honeysworks



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Bullied Albus, Bullying, Cute Ending, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Violence, Loneliness, M/M, Misery, One Shot, Self Confidence Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 16:25:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9132163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honeysworks/pseuds/Honeysworks
Summary: Albus Severus, lonely, bullied boy, is cast out by Slytherin house for being a Potter. For being different. For being shy and quiet, skittish and weak. All of the things a boy shouldn't be. But it'll be okay, it's always okay. Albus just picks himself up, brushes himself off, and magics his wounds away. He's had a lot of practice with healing charms, anyway.One day, though, his bullies go to far. Tormented and afraid, Albus hides in the only place he can find solace: The Forbidden Forest. What Albus didn't anticipate, however, was a certain blond prefect finding him.Scorpius thinks he might be the only person in Slytherin with any empathy.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally written on 2016-05-01, and as such, predates Cursed Child and is therefore no longer canon-compliant. It was uploaded to AO3 on 2016-12-31, hence the addition of this disclaimer.

The infinitely tall trees that divided the Forbidden Forest from the rest of Hogwarts school grounds served as shelter to much of the local wildlife. Birds would perch upon the high branches amongst the churning leaves, and small mammals would hide within the nooks, safe from predators.

Slumped against the bottom of a tree, where the roots converged with the damp, earthy soil, Albus Severus Potter was too seeking shelter. His robe, muddy and frayed, did very little to protect him from the harsh elements. He was unable to cast even a basic heating charm, as his wand, Ivy and Unicorn hair, had been taken from him by the hands of cruel bullies earlier that day.

Albus recoiled at the memory. He could clearly remember the faces of his tormentors as they cornered him, disarming him, leaving him defenceless. How they had hexed his legs so that each step felt like he was treading on hot coals until he could no longer stand, collapsing onto the unforgiving stone floor. How they had unleashed a barrage of spells upon him, searing his mind and flesh, and Albus could feel his lungs constricting, leaving him barley able to breathe as he lay in the foetal position, softly begging for mercy. After exhausting their their codex of spells, they had resorted to physical violence, launching fists and feet at his fragile body, and Albus had sat, hopeless, counting the seconds until they would leave him alone. Only when they had finally relented did Albus dare glance up. As one last kick to the boy who was already so utterly broken, they had made off with his wand, leaving him unable to magically repair his own wounds.

Upon feeling the fierce wind slashing at his skin, Albus returned to his senses, shivering as he brought his knees up to his chest and wrapping slender arms around himself in a vain attempt to keep warm. Despite of the cold, Albus had to admit that the Forbidden Forest made for a good hiding place. There were all sorts of nasty rumours about the creatures that lurked in the dark, from rogue werewolves to giant, human-sized arachnids. Not even the surliest seventh-year Quidditch player would dare enter the forest alone, especially not at this time of night. The fringes of the setting sun's rays were barely visible behind the castle, bathing the grounds with the last inkling of light before it was plunged into darkness.

Now that the sun had set, the prefects of each house would begin their usual rounds of the school, attempting to catch students awake after curfew. Macmillan would be pacing between the first and second floor corridors, Malfoy would be somewhere around the dungeons, Blaumeux would probably be by the kitchens, and Albus' cousin Rose would alternate between the Gryffindor and Astronomy Towers. Albus had memorised the prefect's routes, and used it to avoid detection when sneaking to and from the dormitory. He wished he had the invisibility cloak, but his father had passed it on to his brother James when he had been sorted into Gryffindor. When Albus had been sorted, he had not received a family heirloom, instead, all he had revived was a snide remark from his Uncle Ron. Despite his father's assurance that no one would think less of him for being sorted into Slytherin, Albus couldn't shake the feeling that his family, who had all been in Gryffindor, had hoped for better.

Languishing under the falling temperature a while longer, Albus briefly considered returning to the common room, where it would at least be warm, before ultimately deciding it was for the better if he didn't. For Albus, being around others meant suffering. The other Slytherins treated him with a passive disdain at best, and at worst, like tonight, with outright malice. Many of the families of those in his house had not been on the same side as Harry Potter during the war, and many still held a grudge, passed down from their parents, against the Potters. When Albus had been sorted into Slytherin upon his arrival at Hogwarts, they had turned on him. Whispers from the back of the classroom, which soon devolved into taunts in the dormitories and in the corridors. Albus didn't let that get to him, though. After all, words couldn't hurt him, right?

But they did hurt. Every single jeer directed at him had left tears welling in his eyes and a burning in his chest. The reject Potter, they declared him. Living amongst the snakes, because even his own family didn't want him. He tried his best to ignore them, but their words bounced around inside his skull until they were ingrained in his memory.

When the petty theft of Albus' possessions started, he had no one to turn to. Even Professor Xanadu, head of Slytherin house, had turned a blind eye when Albus had no proof of who was stealing his belongings, and he couldn't just accuse everyone. It was only a small comfort knowing that he had nothing valuable at Hogwarts he would be upset about losing. He couldn't fly like his siblings, so didn't have an expensive broomstick, and he didn't have the invaluable invisibility cloak, nor did he have a beloved pet. Still, it was annoying having to constantly buy new quills and parchment every week, and it hurt whenever he saw pages of a book exactly like the one he was missing burning in the fireplace of the common room.

Albus sensed tears building behind his closed eyelids. Even thinking about his about his abuse made him cry. Perhaps this was why his housemates didn't like him. Because he was sensitive and skittish. He wasn't devious or cunning like a Slytherin should be, the Sorting Hat had made a mistake. He was just shy, crybaby Potter, who wore his heart on his sleeve, and everyone mocked him for it.

Albus felt his skin prickle when the brittle wind contacted the damp tears running down his cheeks. Deep down, he knew all he had to do was tell an adult. Professor Xanadu may overlook the bullying, claiming it was 'just part of Slytherin culture', but Headmistress McGonagall would surely listen to him. She was kind and wise, and had known his father. She would put a stop to the bullying if he asked her to.

But Albus couldn't. He was too cripplingly shy to approach one of his Professors. He knew they would make a big deal of it, write to his parents, and make an announcement in front of the school. He couldn’t do it. He didn't want that kind of attention. Even worse, he didn’t want his parents finding out that his life at Hogwarts wasn't as happy as he made out to be. He could imagine the devastated look on his mother's face, and the disappointed look on his father's once revealed to them the extent of his bullying. He knew they would be heartbroken, so instead, he had chosen to deal with his problems alone.

Perhaps his antagonisers had also realised that Albus was too timid to do anything about their assault. Maybe that was when the physical abuse had started. Not only with fists, but with spells, directly targeted at him when his back was turned.

Albus didn't even fight back. He just sat, suffering, quietly, as the intricately placed spells would wound him, then instantly cauterise, cleverly placed so as to not leave a visible mark.

He could only take so much. Soon, the line had blurred between what he knew as true, and the lies constructed by his tormentors. Eventually, even Albus started to believe the things they said about him. He no longer believed that once his housemates got to know him, they would see he wasn't so bad after all. He was no longer optimistic that someone would come along and not immediately loathe him.

Albus Potter had given up hope of ever having someone he could call a friend.

 

* * *

 

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy had always been compared to his father, and this annoyed him to no end. He never looked down on anyone, never belittled those deemed 'lesser' by arbitrary standards, and he didn't have the pureblood superiority complex most of his peers held. When Scorpius had been offered the chance to become prefect, he had accepted enthusiastically, eager to prove to everyone that he was nothing like his progenitor. Whereas Draco had been cruel and arrogant during his days at Hogwarts, Scorpius was kind and fair, always going out of his way to help others, even if that meant sometimes sacrificing his own free time.

As a prefect, Scorpius was expected to patrol the corridors after curfew to search for any stragglers who had not yet returned to their common rooms. He knew very well he could be getting on with his charms essay, but if he had any chance of being promoted to head boy, he would have to perform all of his duties, including the ones he found boring. Very rarely did Scorpius actually find anyone wandering around after dark, and a stern talking to would be all that was needed to send him back to their dormitory if he did.

Today, however, had been different. He had discovered a group of boys from his own house, Slytherin, laughing amongst themselves as firework-like explosions shot down the corridor. Fearing they would accidentally damage one of the ancient paintings that hung on the wall, Scorpius sought to send them back to the common room. However, upon breaking up the group, he had found that there were no pyrotechnics. Instead, the boys held a broken wand, and were laughing as it misfired simple spells, causing sparks to shoot from the tip. Not wanting to deduct points from his own house, Scorpius confiscated the wand and send the boys back to the dungeon. Although the Malfoy name was no longer as esteemed with the rest of the wizarding community as it once was, he was thankful that the Slytherins at least respected him as a prefect and obeyed him, quietly chattering amongst themselves as they left towards the dungeons.

Feeling satisfied he had done his job, Scorpius wandered away, studying the wand in his hand further. He had always had a keen interest in wandlore, but he had never seen a wand made out of this type of wood before. It was Ivy, which had gone out of fashion in recent years due to the lacklustre power it offered for much besides healing magic. This particular wand had also been badly damaged, held together only by the thin strand of unicorn hair in the core. Unable to recall who had wielded it, Scorpius supposed it was just a spare that had been thrown in the back of a cupboard somewhere, long since forgotten by its owner, when his housemates had found it and used it to create an indoor fireworks display.

Pocketing the wand, Scorpius noticed he had absent-mindedly walked to the entrance hall. Ordinarily he wouldn't leave the castle on his rounds, but having already caught one group of students outside after curfew, it couldn't hurt to check if there were any more outside.

Leaving the warmth of the castle, Scorpius immediately noticed how cold it was outside in comparison. It was springtime, the weather should be getting warmer, not colder. Still, he decided he could quickly walk up to the Care of Magical Creatures area and back again in a few minuets, and that would be enough patrolling for one night.

Their Care of Magical Creatures lessons took place in a small gathering on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, where Professor Hagrid would teach the class about one of the many creatures that lived there. Conveniently obscured from the castle's view by trees, Scorpius guessed it would be the kind of place where seventh years would sneak off after school hours to drink smuggled firewhiskey or the like. He didn't suppose anyone would be here at this time of night, though, as he brought his own wand out of his pocket to shed some light on the area.

“Lumos…”

Scorpius did not find any students up to illicit activities in the forest. What he did find, however, shocked him even more.

There, curled up against a tree and hugging himself with frail arms, was Albus Severus Potter. If Scorpius was shocked by the presence of another person, Albus looked downright petrified. His bright green eyes were wide, illuminated by the light of Scorpius' wand, and his skin had drained of all colour, contrasting his dishevelled black hair. They remained frozen, staring at each other, for what seemed like hours. Surprisingly, it was Albus who spoke first, in a soft, whispery voice.

"S-Scorpius?"

The other boy had referred to him as Scorpius. No one besides his parents called him by his first name. To his professors, he was Mister Malfoy. To his peers, he was just Malfoy. To hear 'Scorpius' spoken by another student was a somewhat strange feeling. Now that he thought about it, he and Albus had never really interacted with each other before, as Albus tended to avoid the other Slytherins. Perhaps he was part of a club or something, which meant he didn't have a lot of time to spend in the common room, or maybe he opted to hang around with his siblings in the Gryffindor tower instead, which would explain his frequent absences.

Seeing Albus squirm under his gaze, Scorpius realised he had been inadvertently staring for a bit too long. Approaching the smaller boy apprehensively, Scorpius moved to crouch down beside him, however, as he did so, Albus did something very odd- he visibly flinched, as though he was about to get hit- and Scorpius' heart shattered. Upon seeing Albus' face up close for the first time, he could clearly make out ugly red gashes and filthy purple bruises that contrasted his pale skin, most of which looked to be fairly recent.

"Albus…" He began, stooping down to Albus' eye level. "What happened?" Scorpius feared the worst. Had Albus been attacked by one of the creatures that lived in the Forest?

Albus seemed reluctant to answer his question, though. Instead, he avoided eye contact with Scorpius and wiped his cheeks with the tattered sleeves of his robe, letting out a small sniffle. Seeing as the shy boy didn't seem to want to answer him, Scorpius questioned him further.

"Were you attacked?"

Hesitating slightly, before deciding that Scorpius wasn't here to hurt him, Albus gave a small nod, before speaking out in his soft, sweet voice.

"They… They were so mean. W-Why? I never did anything to them, b-but they still hate me."

They? So Albus was attacked, not by an animal as he had feared, but by people. Scorpius' heart was racing. His first thought was to take Albus to the hospital wing, but he had to make sure- the ones who attacked him weren't in Slytherin were they? Surely they couldn't be, Scorpius would have know if bullying was happening in his own house.

"Were they students? Who were they? Which house were they in?" Scorpius fired off questions in quick succession. They went unanswered, however, as Albus simply muttered something incoherent before starting whimpering again, tears spilling over his reddening cheeks. Scorpius couldn't help but feel a little remorse at this, knowing he wasn't helping the situation. Maybe he had been a little too blunt with him. What Albus needed now was some comforting, he could answer questions later.

Feeling a little awkward, and not knowing what he was supposed to do in situations like this, Scorpius reached a hand out and placed it on Albus' shoulder. "Hey now, don't cry. I can take you to the hospital wing, if you like. Madam Pomfrey will fix you right up," Scorpius said, rubbing Albus' shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

"N-No. There's no need," replied Albus, a little too quickly. "R-Really, it's fine. I can just mend myself. I'm good with healing charms." Albus moved to pull something out of his pocket, but his hand returned empty. "But I don't have my wand… I- I must've lost it."

Suddenly, Scorpius' mind clicked. "Hold on, you lost your wand?" Putting two and two together, Scorpius realised the boys he confiscated a wand from earlier hadn't found it discarded by it's previous owner- they had stolen it. From Albus. That must mean-

"Albus, the ones who did this too you… It wasn't Nott and the rest of his gang, was it?"

Scorpius didn't need to see the timid nod from Albus to know the answer was yes as he reached into his robe to reveal the broken wand. "I confiscated this off of them earlier…"

Albus looked slightly hopeful as he shuffled forwards and took his wand from Scorpius' grasp. Upon seeing the state it was in, however, his face fell.

"My wand! What have they done?" He muttered sullenly as he studied it closer. It looked fatal- there was no way it could be repaired. Albus' shoulders slumped as he let the wand roll out of his hands onto the ground beneath him.

Seeing Albus' reaction, Scorpius needed no more evidence. "So it was them, then…" Scorpius began, but then realised he was lost for words. He had no idea what he could possibly say to Albus to make him feel better, so instead, he opted to remain silent, watching the meek boy intently.

Thinking back on it, he very rarely saw Albus at all, as despite sharing a dormitory, Albus would only come to bed when the rest of the boys were already asleep, and would leave again early in the morning before any of them woke up. The only time they really even saw each other was in classes, but even then they didn't speak to each other. The sole acknowledgement of Albus by his classmates would be when the professor left the classroom, and the other Slytherins would crack jokes at Albus' expense, but Scorpius assumed that it was just harmless teasing, and that Albus was in on it. But how could he be? He was always sitting by himself, not bothering anyone, getting on with his work. He was a victim, and this was a textbook case of bullying. Scorpius felt ashamed he had not realised it sooner. Subconsciously, he had just written it off as classroom joking, but seeing the poor boy in front of him, beaten black and blue, made him feel sick to the stomach. Had other incidents like this happened? Scorpius wracked his brain, but couldn't think of any. Did it go on behind his back? Had Albus told any of his friends about these incidents?

Friends.

Scorpius' own thoughts hit him like a ton of bricks. Who did Albus have to turn to? He was always alone. Scorpius tried to remember the last time he had seen Albus even talk to anyone, but recalled nothing. Today, for example. Herbology. They had to work in pairs to re-pot Azurespores, but no one would partner with Albus, so Professor Longbottom let him work on his own. Because he pitied Albus. The boy who had nobody. Even his cousin, that Rose girl, wouldn't sit at the same table as him, and Albus would be displaced to the far corner of the room, by himself. As usual.

After several moments of quiet musing, Scorpius' stomach dropped. The signs were all there. Albus was being bullied, and had no one he could turn to for support. Scorpius should have noticed these things; he was supposed to look after his housemates and be someone they could turn to when they needed help, but instead Albus had kept himself in isolation.

He turned to Albus, who was looking curiously up at him through bright green eyes so full of innocence that it pained Scorpius to see him so hurt. Clearing his throat, Scorpius spoke as softly as he could:

"It's not the first time they've done this, it it?", referring to the beating Albus had endured. Scorpius had a hunch, but couldn't be sure. He hoped Albus would prove him wrong, but the boy's answer broke his heart.

"N-No," Albus uttered, a barely audible whisper, but it spoke volumes to Scorpius. The thought of someone doing something so cruel to a fellow student made him seethe. He would have to go straight to McGonagall, and tell her what he knew. He couldn't let this wait, not even for a night.

Just as he moved to get up, Albus grabbed the hem of his robe.

"Please. Don't tell anyone about this."

Scorpius was so shocked he almost toppled over. "What? Albus, they beat you up and snapped your wand! That's grounds for expulsion."

"I- I know, but if someone were to get expelled because of me, my parents would surely find out. Please, Scorpius, I don't want them to find out what my life is like at Hogwarts."

"You mean you don't want them to find out you were beaten up? Albus, if you tell them, they'd be able to help you."

"No! They think my life is nice at school. They'd be disappointed in me if they found out I get b-bullied. They already don't like me because I was sorted into Slytherin…"

"Albus Potter, I'm sure your parents love you, regardless of your scarf being green instead of red. They'd do anything to help you if you asked." Scorpius offered him shy smile, but Albus didn't return it.

"You don't understand what it's like being different from my family. E-everyone else, they’re so close with each other, except with me, they- they’re not. They always exclude me. I know I don’t fit in with them, I’m not brave or smart, o-or good at Quidditch. The Professors as well, they all had so many expectations of me for being Harry Potter's son… but- but I just end up disappointing them. I don't want to burden them any more than I have to."

Scorpius was tempted to berate Albus for honestly believing he was worth so little, but suppressed the urge as he sat back down next to Albus, leaning in close enough to whisper.

"You know, I'm different to the rest of my family as well."

Albus glanced up at Scorpius in curiosity.

"Malfoys are supposed to hate Potters. But-" Scorpius paused briefly, lips curving up into a gentle smile. "-I like you, Albus." He couldn't help but notice Albus' cheeks glow pink with this statement. "Don't you dare think less of yourself just because some cowards decided to gang up on you." Albus said nothing, slightly shocked by Scorpius’ deceleration, and Scorpius hoped he could coax him into returning to the castle. "If you don't want to, then you don't have to tell anyone about what happened today until you're feeling well again, and I won't say anything either- but you should at least let me take you to the hospital wing," Scorpius offered, standing up and offering Albus both his hands.

"O-Ok." Not having the energy to argue, and feeling numb from the cold, Albus placed each of his hands in Scorpius', and the blond boy helped lift him back onto his feet. Scorpius didn't know if it was fortunate or tragic that Albus was so light, as lifting him took almost no effort at all. How exactly bullies felt threatened by him was beyond Scorpius' comprehension.

Taking a tentative step forwards, Albus let out a tiny gasp of pain and wobbled slightly, no doubt the result of a recent injury. Scorpius took note of this and offered himself up as support, positioning his arm around Albus' side and grabbing his entire frame tightly. The smaller boy stiffened against his touch, and Scorpius could feel bone through the material of the robe. Albus was thin, much too thin, and through the corner of his eye Scorpius could see his collarbones protruding through the skin showing out the top of his robe. Had Albus been eating properly? Now that he thought about it, when was the last time he had seen Albus at dinner? Scorpius felt dread well up inside him. Was reason Albus hadn't been showing up to diner anything to do with his bullies? He would have to make it his duty to investigate further, but for now his priority was to make sure Albus was okay.

Scorpius tugged the other boy gently, and Albus, leaning into Scorpius’ grasp, began to walk forward gingerly, using the blond boy for support. Their walk back to the castle was quiet, but Scorpius was secretly glad about this, cringing at the thought of running into Peeves.

When they reached the castle, Scorpius wordlessly nudged Albus in the direction of the Hospital wing, and Albus seemed to put up little resistance. When they arrived in front of the great wooden door, Scorpius knocked briskly, but didn’t wait for a reply before swinging the door open, bringing Albus in with him.

“Who’s there?” Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office, wand in hand. Casting a quick incantation, the candles dotted around the walls ignited into life, bathing them in a pale yellow glow.

“Oh!” She seemed to spot Albus for the first time, and moving quite quickly for a woman of her age, ran over to him, her cloak falling to the floor in the process.

“You poor boy, what happened?” She pulled Albus from Scorpius’ hold, bringing him over to a vacant bed and summoning flasks of various potions from her office. Seeing as Albus had slipped back into silence, Scorpius answered on his behalf.

“Bullying.” A one word reply, to which Madam Pomfrey simply tutted and got to work, applying a salve to Albus’ bruises on his face and arms, and waving her wand muttering incantations under her breath. After working for a few minutes, she let out a small sigh.

“Nothing’s broken at least, but you’ll have to sleep off these bruises and cuts, those potions don’t work instantly.” She quickly muttered another Accio, apparently to retrieve some pyjamas and another small flask from her office. “You’re spending the night here, though.” She pulled a mobile curtain from around another empty bed, entrapping Scorpius in with them.

“And you’re one of his friends, I assume?” She asked, looking directly at Scorpius for the first time.

“Yes… I am.” He felt uncomfortable under her stern gaze.

“Good. Help him into these.” She gestured at the summoned pyjamas, and placed the new flask onto Albus’ bedside. The bright purple label advertised it was a dreamless sleep potion.

She turned to leave, closing the privacy curtain around them, but not before addressing Scorpius once more. “Oh, and I expect to see you in my office when you’re done. There’s a lot of explaining that needs doing.”

Listening to diminishing footsteps, Scorpius turned to Albus, who had kicked off his tatty looking shoes onto the floor and was tugging at his robe, attempting to remove it from his sitting position. Scorpius decided to intervene, else Albus looked as though he might tangle himself up in his own clothes. Instructing him to lift his arms up, Scorpius pulled the fabric over Albus’ head, and offered him a newly unfolded Pyjama shirt. Albus snatched it gratefully, and slipped it over his lithe form, and Scorpius noted his earlier concerns over Albus’ weight were justified. Ribs poked over taut skin, and worse still, on his concave stomach was a bruise that looked suspiciously like a boot heel imprint. Scorpius had to hold his tongue to avoid smothering Albus in pity.

“Can you…” Scorpius gestured to the pyjama bottoms, and Albus nodded. Offering some some privacy to his companion, he stepped outside of the curtain for a second so Albus could change, but Scorpius couldn’t get the image of Albus out of his head, the way his shirt draped over his frail shoulders, Albus looked so vulnerable. Trying to calm himself down, Scorpius counted down from twenty in his head, before returning to Albus’ bedside. He found him fiddling with the sheets, avoiding looking up. Scorpius went to pick up the potion on Albus’ bedside, but before he could offer him any, Albus spoke up.

“Did you… Really mean it?” He sounded hopeful, but Scorpius was left confused.

“Mean what?”

“W-When you said… that we’re fr-friends?”

Scorpius knew that Albus was shy and probably wouldn’t be very good at showing affection, but to Scorpius’ mind, Albus’ shyness only made him even more sweet. So when Albus asked if they where friends, Scorpius climbed right onto Albus’ bed and enveloped him into the biggest hug he could muster.

“Albus… Albus, Albus. Of course we’re friends,” Scorpius half-whispered into Albus’ ear.

“But…” A weak protest went unheard as Scorpius hugged Albus tighter. After a few seconds of semi-comfortable silence, he spotted the dreamless sleep potion on Albus’ bedside once more. Untwining himself from Albus' form he reached over and grabbed it, offering it to him.

“Here, you should probably drink this.” Scorpius brought the flask to Albus’ lips, but he shook his head and pushed it away.

“I don’t want it,” Albus stated simply.

“You’ve been through a lot today, it’ll probably help you sleep,” Scorpius retorted. “Besides, Pomfrey gave it to you for a reason.”

Albus shook his head again and took a small breath. “I don’t want it. I… I like my dreams. They’re nothing like my real life. There are no expectations of me, no one to disappoint. Where I’m not bullied.” Scorpius found Albus’ brutal honesty strangely admirable, but still thought it was for the best that Albus took the potion.

“Albus, please drink it. For me.” Scorpius hoped he had gained enough trust in Albus that he'd see how sincere he was being, and apparently he had, as Albus hesitated for a second before deciding he didn’t have the energy to argue.

“OK, then. For you.” Albus looked into Scorpius’ eyes, as Scorpius handed him the flask and he took a sip. Slowly, his eyelids drooped shut. As he slipped out of consciousness, Albus felt a gentle hand guide his head to the pillows, and someone lift his sheets over him, before he was lucid no longer.

 

* * *

 

Albus Severus Potter awoke to the sound of a large wooden door clunking open, then shut again, and the soft footsteps of a person walking towards him. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by rays of golden light streaming through the tall, ornate windows, gently illuminating his surroundings.

Wondering who it was that had just walked in, Albus moved to prop himself up on his elbows when a sharp pain shot through his left arm, making him wince. Fortunately, the person soon entered his field of view, revealing himself as Scorpius Malfoy. Perching himself on the edge of Albus' bed, Scorpius seemed to hesitate slightly before he spoke.

"How're you feeling today?"

"Ahh... Sore," Albus muttered. He shifted in his bed, trying to sit up using the mountain of pillows beneath him for support.

"Don't get up, you need to rest." Scorpius sounded so sincere to Albus in a way that he wasn't used to. Bringing his gaze down to his lap, where his hands started idly fidgeting with the bedsheets, Albus attempted to recall what happened before he went to sleep, but found his memory hazy.

"What happened last night?" he asked, not feeling fully awake. He hadn't slept this well in a long time.

"Madam Pomfrey took a look over you before you went to sleep. You have some very nasty bruises, but fortunately nothing worse," Scorpius replied, his use of the word ‘fortunately’ was somewhat bitter after all that had happened.

"Oh."

Bemused by Albus' dazed state, Scorpius motioned to the potions on Albus' bedside. Among them were General purpose Healing Salve and an empty Dreamless Sleep potion. “You fell asleep not long after you got here, but…” Scorpius deliberated for a moment, deciding how best to phrase his next sentence. “Madam Pomfrey- she was asking questions. I know you didn’t want me to tell anyone, but I had too. I’m sorry.”

“Oh.” Albus responded again. He let go of the sheets in his hand and looked at Scorpius’ face for the first time since he entered the room. There were bags under his eyes and his hair wasn’t as neat as usual. He must’ve been up all night thinking about him, Albus concluded, and felt bad for causing so much worry. “It’s fine. I’m sorry for worrying you,” Albus said gently.

Scorpius was taken back a little. “No, no! Albus, don’t say that, I’m the one who should be apologising to you. I’m supposed to be the Slytherin prefect, it’s my job to look after my housemates. I-” He intended to continue his speech, but was instead interrupted.

“You haven’t had any sleep,” Albus stated bluntly, and motioned a single finger towards Scorpius’ face.

Scorpius instinctively moved a hand to touch where Albus gestured before a sad smile appeared on his face. Even when laid in a hospital bed, Albus’ biggest concern had been other people worrying over him.

“Albus, you’re in no condition to be worrying about me, or anyone else for that matter. Your main priority is staying here and getting rested. I expect you’ll be kept here for a few days anyway.”

“B-but my classes, I don’t want to fall behind!” Albus actually seemed distressed over the thought of missing his lessons, and it was in that moment that Scorpius realised how much of an atypical teenage boy Albus really was.

“You can borrow my notes, if you like,” Scorpius reassured him, and couldn't help but let out a giggle at Albus' reaction. Albus pouted, irked that Scorpius had laughed at him, and cast his eyes back down to the bed. Scorpius took the opportunity to turn the conversation more serious, if only momentarily.

“There is one thing I want to ask you- about last night- if that’s alright with you?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you go into the forest?"

“I always go there…” Albus’ repose was quieter than his usual voice. “Whenever I can’t handle the classrooms, or the common room, or the library, I go outside sit by that tree. Nobody has every bothered me there before.”

"So you're not around a lot because the others are unkind to you?" Scorpius asked, referring to the other Slytherins, to which Albus nodded in reply. "I'm sorry." The words escaped his lips unintentionally, Scorpius knew that Albus didn't want pity, but he couldn't help it, Albus sparked a feeling deep down inside him, and he felt terrible seeing him so hurt. Albus' response to his apology, however, was not the one he expected.

"I like you, Scorpius," Albus stated, and it was Scorpius' turn to be caught off guard. "You… you're the first person that hasn't judged me because of my surname," he revealed, meeting Scorpius' gaze intently.

"You know, I could say the same about you," Scorpius grinned, and was delighted when Albus smiled back.

"You won't leave me on my own, will you?" Albus asked. "I mean, they'll probably start asking questions…"

"Never," said Scorpius firmly, and leaned towards Albus, enveloping him in another hug. Albus didn't object this time though, as he brought his arms around Scorpius' back and rested his head on the taller boy's shoulder.

"Promise you'll stay with me," Albus breathed.

"I promise."

For the first time since his sorting, Albus felt at ease at Hogwarts. He had finally made a friend. Just one friend, that's all he ever asked for, to have someone by his side. Especially kind Scorpius, who looked past his name and liked him anyway, unlike so many of the others.

He couldn't have asked for better.

 


End file.
